BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Geneva's softball team finally played their home opener today, dropping a close 6-3 decision to Westminster in game one before allowing 4 final-inning runs in the second game en route to a 12-8 loss. The women were scheduled to have two home doubleheaders before today, but due to rain and low temperatures their previous home games had been postponed, making it so that that their first home games of the season came in conference play. The GTs record sits at 7-11 overall after the losses, 1-3 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play, while Westminster moves up to 13-7 overall, 6-2 in the PAC.
Westminster had complete control of game one through the first five innings, as the Golden Tornadoes were only able to garner two hits over that span. A double from senior Julia Hart in the fourth inning was the only offense the GTs could muster before the sixth inning rolled around.
Trailing 4-0 heading into the sixth, the women were finally able to string together some solid plate appearances against the strong pitching of the Titans. Sophomore Lexi Zanic drew a walk, and senior Elishea Reed followed her up with a single. Freshman Aliya Ottaviani reached base safely on a Westminster error, and in the next at-bat sophomore Justine Robbins launched a bases-clearing double into left-centerfield to pull Geneva within a run. Unfortunately, Westminster scored twice more in the top of the seventh inning, and the GTs could not find an answer in the last frame of game one.
Robbins was the lone highlight at the plate for the women in the first game, going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Sophomore Sophia Tvaroch got the start for the Golden Tornadoes, allowing three runs in 4.0 innings while striking out three.
The second game provided much more offensive entertainment for those in attendance, as at least one team scored in every inning. Reed evened the score at one with an RBI-single in the bottom of the first inning, and Robbins knocked in an RBI of her own on a third-inning single to put the GTs in front, 3-2.
The fifth inning was a big one for both sides, as the Titans drove home three runners in the top half of the frame to take a 6-3 lead. Slowly but surely, Geneva loaded up the bases in the bottom half, and sophomore Madison Rapp drew a walk to push a run across the plate with two outs. In the next at-bat, freshman Molly Shelley smoked a bases-loaded triple into right-centerfield, giving the women a 7-6 lead heading into the sixth.
Hart hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but that was the only scoring Geneva could muster for the rest of the game, as they were unable to respond to Westminster's four-run seventh inning. The Golden Tornadoes ended up losing 12-8.
Hart and Robbins each went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the loss, with Hart's home run the highlight of the afternoon, and Shelley went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Graduate student Haley Smith got the start in game two.
Geneva is scheduled to play in four doubleheaders next week, playing on the road against Grove City and Washington & Jefferson before returning home for games against Pitt-Greensburg and Waynesburg to end the week.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
